Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1716

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

How does pharmaceutical marketing influence doctors' prescribing behaviour?
2002 Mar

Full text:

Pharmaceutical companies spend twenty percent or more of their prescription drug revenues on marketing these products. Most of their marketing activities are aimed at doctors. They include regular activities – such as detailing, advertising and mailings – as well as activities more typical for the pharmaceutical industry – like post-marketing research, organising courses and conferences and sponsoring research.

There is a strong debate in the public media and in medical circles concerning the desirability of (specific) pharmaceutical marketing activities. On the one hand, marketing conveys valuable information about pharmaceuticals to doctors. This is good for social welfare. On the other hand, direct and indirect interactions between the pharmaceutical industry and prescribers allow companies to establish non-rational brand loyalty, which is bad for social welfare.

This study is aimed at identifying and measuring the effects of marketing for prescription drugs on prescribing behaviour by doctors. What is the overall effect in the Netherlands of marketing on doctors’ prescribing behaviour? Do doctors respond to marketing? Do they respond to prices? Are these effects good for welfare or bad? And if (some of) the effects are undesirable, which policy options may lead to a better outcome?

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Koninklijke de Swart
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